Osho’s photographs might not be spotted easily but the walls are adorned by abstract paintings, some with his complicated signature scribbled on them. “Osho never wanted to be a cult figure. This is in deference to that sentiment,” defends Sadhana.
The changes have not come in the way of popularity. Business has grown by almost 300 per cent after his death. And around 2,000-odd visitors come to the resort daily, about 80 per cent of them foreigners. Germans were once the dominant nationality but now there is a surge of Koreans, Austrailians, Canadians, Americans and Europeans looking for peace.

Sadhana puts the average age of the visitors at 30-35 but you cannot help notice that the groups are getting younger by the day. Visitors without the baggage of memories and history are welcome. “They don’t ask where Osho’s pictures are. They come here for the meditation packages we offer and know the value of all he taught is in there,” says Sadhana.
Among the more welcome changes is the fact that the centre in its resort avatar seems more accessible to the public. Anyone willing to undergo an HIV test and who tests negative is allowed to be a part of the activities, according to the packages offered.

Not everyone is bowled over by the transformation of the commune to a resort-spa. Swami Chaitanya Keerti, founder of the Delhi-based Osho World and former spokesperson of the commune, before it split into two in 2000, says what is missing is the love for people who have been coming there for a long time. “The spirit, the feeling of being in a sangh, that is not there anymore. By dropping Ma and Swami from their names, they are mercilessly killing the spirit of sanyas,” he says.
There are allegations that the inner circle, a group of 21 who, according to the authorities are people chosen by Osho to run the centre, are beholden to the West. “The inner circle members were chosen by Jayesh or Michael O’Byrne (a Canadian real estate agent who is supposed to control the circle). The management team has no power and the entire control rests with Osho World New York. All notices sent on behalf of the commune originate from New York. We had walked out on this issue,” says Keerti.

... contd.